What is the difference between food therapy and medicinal diet? Many people often wonder whether the herbal liquor and medicinal ingredients added to stewed soup belong to food therapy or medicinal diet. Let's listen to what the doctor has to say.
Medicinal diet refers to the use of medicine in food, such as soaking wolfberries in liquor or adding Huangmao and ginseng to soup. It should be noted that not all medicines can be used in food. First, the safety needs to be guaranteed, and then the individual's physical condition and current health situation should be diagnosed and treated according to syndrome differentiation. It should be guided by professionals. Misuse of medicinal diet not only fails to enhance health, but may also cause illness. A few years ago, there was a case where a man with a weak heart ordered the newly launched "Fuzi Lamb Pot" in a restaurant, hoping to strengthen his heart, but ended up with arrhythmia induced by aconitine in Fuzi, and had to be hospitalized.
Food therapy, on the other hand, fully utilizes the natural properties of food. We all know that pears have a cooling nature and have the effects of nourishing yin, clearing heat, and generating body fluids. They are not only delicious, but also have medicinal properties. For people with fever, regularly consuming pears can be beneficial to the body. In ancient times, there was a story about a scholar who was coughing persistently while traveling to the capital for an examination. He found a local doctor for treatment. After examining his pulse, the doctor shook his head and said, "You have an incurable disease. There is no medicine that can help you." The scholar was devastated and prepared to go to a temple to burn incense and accept his fate. The old monk in the temple heard about this and told him a remedy: buy pears along the way and eat them continuously for a hundred days. Following the advice, the scholar bought a boatload of pears and traveled north along the river, eating pears every day. Gradually, his condition improved. A year later, he returned from the examination and specifically went to see the doctor. The doctor was surprised to see him in good spirits and even healthier than before. The scholar attributed his recovery to the continuous consumption of pears. Li Feng suggests that for some chronic diseases, it is better to use food therapy more and rely less on medication.
However, Li Feng reminds readers that food should not be consumed indiscriminately. Just like choosing medicinal diet, food therapy should be based on understanding one's own physical condition and selecting food accordingly. It is important to diagnose and prescribe the correct food therapy. Blindly following others' advice is not advisable. The most direct method to understand one's physical condition is to infer based on the reactions after eating. For example, if one frequently experiences diarrhea after eating pears, it can be inferred that their body is cold in nature. Therefore, foods that are cold in nature, such as crabs and mung beans, should be consumed less or avoided.
Some people believe that since it is "therapy", it is only suitable for patients. "In fact, food therapy applies to daily life as well. Some harmful factors in life, such as excessive drinking, smoking, and spicy food, can be counteracted through proper dietary combinations to mitigate their adverse effects," says Li Feng. Many people enjoy eating grilled, fried, and smoked foods, and the trend of spicy food continues to rise among young people. In addition to the traditional spicy dishes from Sichuan and Hunan, there has been a recent popularity of an extreme level of spiciness known as "crazy spicy". According to traditional Chinese medicine, these foods belong to the "dry heat" category and can easily damage the mucous membranes of the digestive tract. Therefore, moderation is advised when consuming such foods. "If you really love eating them, you can also reduce the harm to your body through proper food combinations."
For those who enjoy eating grilled food, chili, and hot pot, Li Feng has a food therapy recommendation for them: using fresh fruit juice as a beverage with meals. He says that ancient people believed that grass nourishes yin, clears heat, and resolves accumulation. Modern medicine has also confirmed that fruits contain components that can prevent esophageal cancer and relieve stomach pain. If fresh fruit juice is not available, fresh pear juice is also a good option. "Of course, it is best to have a balanced diet and not excessively favor a certain type of food or taste. Eating spicy peppers with every meal may not be able to compensate for the damage to your stomach lining. Food should be diverse to achieve balance, safety, and nutrition," says Li Feng.
The effects of food therapy are also good for those who enjoy drinking alcohol. In "The Complete Collection of Su Shi", it is recorded that a fellow villager of Su Shi had been suffering from excessive thirst, increased appetite, and frequent urination for many years. It was similar to diabetes today, but the symptoms worsened after treating it as "polydipsia". After being diagnosed and treated by Shu doctor Zhang Jiao, it was determined that the patient's condition was not "polydipsia", but caused by excessive alcohol consumption and accumulation of "alcohol toxin" in the body. Therefore, a detoxification prescription was given, and the patient quickly recovered. A key ingredient in Zhang Jiao's prescription was Quanqizi (the fruit of Strychnos potatorum), which is also a sweet-tasting fruit. Modern pharmacology has confirmed that Quanqizi is a good remedy for alcohol detoxification. It can significantly reduce the concentration of ethanol in the blood, eliminate excessive free radicals produced after alcohol consumption, reduce damage to liver tissues caused by alcohol intoxication, and prevent various metabolic abnormalities and related diseases. Li Feng suggests that in addition to controlling the amount of alcohol consumed, people who drink alcohol for social occasions may consider preparing a "hangover food therapy" for themselves, such as white radish soup or the previously mentioned Jiji Zi and Kudzu root decoction, which can alleviate the harm caused by alcohol.
